


Gasoline

by Rhapsody0607



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/F, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-13
Updated: 2019-03-13
Packaged: 2019-11-17 16:40:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18102386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rhapsody0607/pseuds/Rhapsody0607
Summary: Ryleigh did something terrible a year ago, and she doesn't know how to handle it. Luckily, she's friends with Rukiya, who knows something's wrong, and doesn't let her isolate herself. Ryleigh sees this as the beginning of their deepening friendship.





	Gasoline

**Author's Note:**

> Rukiya is a dark skinned half elf woman, with warm brown eyes and dark brown hair.  
> Ryleigh is a pale skinned human woman, with striking violet eyes and blonde hair.

Ryleigh’s been tossing and turning for hours, sleep evading her. She finally gets up, dressing in her training clothes and heading out of the barracks. Making her way to the sparring room, Ryleigh does a quick warm up to get her blood flowing and her limbs warm. She walks over to the hanging sandbags, bypassing hand wraps and taking up a fighting stance. 

 

_ Jab. Cross. Hook. Uppercut.  _

 

She throws the combination 20 times, then adds in her legs. 

 

_ Jab. Cross. Right knee. Hook. Uppercut. Left sidekick.  _

 

She repeats the new combination 20 times, then moves on, adding in defensive techniques. 

 

_ Jab. Cross. Parry. Right knee. Left Hook. Roll. Uppercut. Right sidekick. Slip.  _

 

It goes on like this until a pair of familiar brown eyes appear next to her sandbag. 

 

“How long have you been in here?” Rukiya asks with a concerned look. 

 

Ryleigh continues to throw the combination as she speaks to Rukiya, “I’m not sure.”  _ Jab. Cross. Parry. Right knee. _ “I couldn’t sleep.”  _  Left Hook. Roll. Uppercut. Right sidekick. Slip. _ “Thought I’d be productive.” She’s unable to fully meet the smaller woman’s eyes. 

 

“Your knuckles are bloody and your shins are raw, Ryleigh.” 

 

“I’m fine,” Ryleigh answers, throwing the combo again. 

 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Rukiya asks, her tone cautious. 

 

It makes Ryleigh feel worse. She doesn’t deserve her empathy, or her kindness. 

 

“No.”  _ Jab. Cross. Parry. Right knee. Left Hook. Roll. Uppercut. Right sidekick. Slip.  _

 

Rukiya steps in front of the bag Ryleigh’s been hitting. “You don’t have to talk about it, but you should give your hands a break. Come get some breakfast with me?”

 

She’s about to say no, she really is, because she  _ shouldn’t _ take comfort in Rukiya’s presence, but then those warm brown eyes are boring into hers and she  _ can’t _ say no. 

 

“Okay. I could use food.”

 

They eat in relative silence and Rukiya doesn’t poke at her talk, or slyly try to convince her to. She just sits near Ryleigh, occasionally commenting on people passing by. She manages to pull a few smiles from Ryleigh and looks proud of herself for doing so. After they eat, Rukiya suggests they walk along the boardwalk. 

 

Again Ryleigh opens her mouth to refuse, but it falls flat when Rukiya smiles at her. She agrees and they make their way to the boardwalk. As they walk, people press in around them. Rukiya maneuvers easily through the vendors and street performers, while everyone just moves out of Ryleigh’s way. 

 

_ Of course they’re moving out of your way. They just see a demon in black armor.  _ Ryleigh feels their eyes on her.  _ They know you’re a murderer. They know you shouldn’t be walking among them.  _

 

Rukiya’s hand unintentionally brushes against hers and it’s almost jarring, but it immediately pulls Ryleigh out of her toxic thoughts. Maybe she should talk to Rukiya about it…  _ She’d be revolted, disgusted that she ever became your friend.  _

 

“Ryleigh?” Rukiya says her name so tenderly, carefully, like she’s delicate...  _ like you’re broken and she’s right… you are. _

 

Ryleigh has to force the words out, because Rukiya’s expression is so caring and worried, she can’t take it. “I have to go.” And without waiting for a response, Ryleigh turns and walks away from Rukiya. 

 

She’s so lost to her thoughts that it takes a moment for Ryleigh to realize where she is: Thormyr’s fighting ring. She should have known, that today of all days, she’d end up here. Thormyr recognizes her, takes her 5 coppers, and points to the room where fighters wait before entering the ring. 

 

Ryleigh’s first fight is against a human man. He has dark skin, a few large scars across his chest, and easily has 40 pounds and a good 5 inches on her. The man looks irritated at being paired against what he believes is an easy opponent. He’s going to be sorely mistaken. 

 

She allows him to hit her several times, gauging his speed, power, and technique. Letting it go on longer than she should, Ryleigh knows she could have ended the match with a few well placed hits, but she doesn’t. She not here to win tonight…  _ You’re here for punishment. _ After putting on a show for the crowd, Ryleigh lands several punches and kicks that makes the dark skinned man fall at her feet.

 

The next match she has is against a dwarven woman. She’s bulky and muscular, with a nasty, jagged scar running across her left eye. Ryleigh thinks she might be able to exploit that weakness. The woman is slower than her, but she hits like an anvil, and it takes Ryleigh longer to figure out her new opponent. 

 

At one point the dwarven woman takes out her knee, causing Ryleigh to crash onto the dirt floor. She has time to move out of the way, but she doesn’t and the woman is on top of her, slamming her fists into Ryleigh’s face. She feels her lip split on the first hit.  _ You deserve this. _ Pain radiates from her nose on the second. _ This is your punishment. _ After the third punch, Ryleigh sees stars and the world temporarily spins.  _ Enough. _

 

Ryleigh throws the woman off her and scrambles to get on top of her. A punch, or an elbow would work, but Ryleigh presses her thumbs into the eyes of her opponent. It makes the dwarven woman scream, and Ryleigh doesn’t stop, she presses deeper, drawing a stutter from the other woman as she taps out. 

 

The bell rings and Ryleigh’s declared the winner, walking out of the ring with her head held high. She nearly collapses once she’s in the small locker area and the only reason she doesn’t is because familiar, lithe arms catch her.  _ What is Rukiya doing here? _

 

“I’ve got you,” Rukiya says, helping Ryleigh sit down. 

 

“Did you follow me?” Ryleigh tries to smile, but it hurts her face too much.

 

Rukiya doesn’t answer, instead she presses a damp cloth to Ryleigh’s bloodied face. It makes her hiss in pain. They sit in silence for a while as Rukiya wipes away the blood from Ryleigh’s nose and lip, then finally she asks, “Why?”

 

“Why what?”

 

“You could have won each of those fights in the first two minutes and you didn’t. Why?” Rukiya’s fingers move on to check for broken bones, skating over Ryleigh’s collarbone and down her side. Ryleigh groans, her hands darting out to grab Rukiya’s as they slide over her ribs, because they’re so tender. 

 

“I couldn’t hav-” Ryleigh starts, but Rukiya quickly cuts her off.

 

“I spar with you regularly and I  _ know _ you willingly took a beating tonight.” Rukiya’s looking at her with that soft, concerned look again. “I’m worried about you, Ryleigh.” 

 

Ryleigh releases Rukiya’s hands, and looks away, partially ashamed. “I deserved it.”

 

“What could you have possibly done to deserve this?” Rukiya gestures from Ryleigh’s swollen eye and broken nose, to her bruised abdomen and bloodied hands. 

 

Shaking her head, she’s unable to find the right words, or create a valid excuse, so she settles for, “I can’t tell you.”

 

Rukiya’s eyes narrow, like she’s studying Ryleigh. “You can’t... or you don’t want to?”

 

Eyes glossy with tears, Ryleigh finally looks up and into Rukiya’s eyes. “Rukiya, please… you’re the only friend I have and I don’t want to lose you.”

 

“I know you’re a good person, Ryleigh. I promise that whatever it is won’t push me away.” 

 

Rukiya looks a little uncomfortable, and Ryleigh’s not sure it’s entirely because of her. Maybe there’s something in Rukiya’s past that she thinks people can’t accept about her. It’s then that Ryleigh decides to tell her because  _ maybe someday _ , if this doesn’t go terribly, Rukiya will trust her to share too.

 

“I was transferred to Vyon six months ago because… on my first real assignment after taking my oath, I failed and innocent people died by my hand,” Ryleigh whispers. 

 

“Died by your hand?” Rukiya repeats, her voice steady. 

 

“I kept having these terrible thoughts. I was envious of farming people… they all had each other, their families, their simple lives where the terrors of Ascus didn’t touch them.” Ryleigh swallows hard, she blinks and a few tears are knocked from her eyes. “Something came over me and I was suddenly moving towards the town, flanked by the flesh golems that I was supposed to protect them from.” Her hands come up, covering the anguished expression on her face. “I killed so many people and I couldn’t stop myself. I tried to right my wrong, to help rebuild the town and bury the dead, but they wouldn’t let me.”

 

Rukiya’s hands cover Ryleigh’s, withdrawing them from Ryleigh’s face, and holding them. Ryleigh’s tears are freely flowing now, and Rukiya waits for Ryleigh to focus on her. “Bad people don’t feel bad when they do bad things. It sounds to me like there was something larger at play… something that made you unable to control yourself. That kind of magic exists, but they’d have to be a very powerful spellcaster.” 

 

Rukiya leans in closer almost like she’s going to hug Ryleigh, and Ryleigh panics, because if Rukiya hugs her, she’s positive she’ll shatter apart. “Don’t. I don’t deserve comfort when I caused so much suffering.” 

 

She hears Rukiya sigh and sees her mouth pull into a thin line. “I’m here… when you’re ready.” Her thumbs brush over the back of Ryleigh’s hands once before she releases them. Against her will, Ryleigh allows it… she even takes a level of comfort in it. 

 

“Let’s get you to Lydia; she’ll be able to patch you up.”

 

“I’m not sure how to thank you, but I’m lucky to have you in my life,” Ryleigh says, standing with Rukiya’s help.

 

“I’m glad we’re friends too.” Rukiya grins at her, and they exit Thormyr’s and head to the Asten temple. 

  
  
  



End file.
